Heart of Stone (Xiaolumi) Genshin FF

二

"Are you sure you don't want to come with me, Traveler?" Paimon asked again. "I'm fine," you shooed her away. "Go go! Go catch those food sales before the firework show begins! I'll be at Yujing Terrace, okay?" "Okay," she echoed with uncertainty. After looking back at you again, she finally floated away. You sighed heavily and began making your way to the terrace. It was the last night of the festival. You'd taken a shower after finishing your commissions but didn't feel like joining Paimon on a last-minute search effort for sales on food and jewelry and clothes.

You couldn't stop thinking about Xiao and wondering about how he was feeling. Did he really not want to take some time out to enjoy the festival? It honored the peace and prosperity given to them due to their heroes' commitments and diligence. The lanterns were even named after Xiao, carrying that same spark their protector had. Was there really that much evil he had to expel that he couldn't give himself just 20 minutes of peace? You sighed again and wandered over to the railing, leaning over it just like the others that had decided to come here to watch the show. It was starting in about a half hour. Watching others talk with their friends and loved ones... suddenly the Terrace was too crowded. You just wanted to be alone right now.

You left the terrace, telling yourself you had to make it a point to be back in time to meet with Paimon, and climbed the mountain behind the Funeral Parlor instead. There. Nice and quiet, and a solid view too. You breathed in deeply and exhaled loudly. The grass was soft and cool underneath your hands, the constant chatter of the harbor nothing but a dull hum to your ears now. Moments later, you felt the air shift behind you weirdly, and opened your eyes and turned around.

You gasped and scrambled to your feet. "Xiao!" You exclaimed. You totally had not expected to see him and began to panic. Did you say his name out loud without even realizing it? He was still wearing his regular clothes, but his jewelry and other attachments had been removed and it was surprising to see him looking so... normal. Only his tattoo on his right arm and his vision on the back of his wrist were the same. "What are you doing here? Is something the matter?" "No." he instantly responded, so abruptly that it left you speechless and wondering if you'd done something wrong within the last 24 hours. "Um, okay. Uh... do you need something from me?"

"Yes." He replied.

"Oh! Okay. What is it?"

He didn't answer right away and instead walked over to you and grabbed your hand and sat down, pulling it so you could sit with him. The glove on his right hand was off so you could feel the warmth of his skin against yours. It was so smooth. Completely unblemished. He let go of your hand but you could still feel his touch, and your eyes roamed his body again before you looked away. You patiently waited for him to speak. "I need you... to watch the fireworks with me."

You gasped again and the biggest, brightest smile appeared on your face. "Oh my god! Really? We're gonna watch the fireworks together?! The whole thing?"

Xiao couldn't help it. He wouldn't have wanted to anyway. The close lipped smile that formed on his face was one you would treasure forever, like you promised yourself you always would. "Yes." "Thank you, Xiao! Hahaha, I'm so happy right now! Should we go down-" you began to stand up but he stopped you in your haste to leave. He looked you deep in your eyes as you settled back down in your spot. "No... let's stay here and watch. Just the two of us." "O-Oh... okay. I'm okay with that. That's-that's fine." you cleared your throat and wanted so desperately to hit your chest so your heart would settle down. "But, are you hungry? Or thirsty? I should go get-" You started to stand again but his grip on your arm tightened once again. You weren't going anywhere.

"I'm fine. But if you are hungry or thirsty, I will get-" "No! I'm fine too!" You blurted out, grinning as he slowly let go of your arm. "Okay. We're both fine. Let's wait for the show to begin, then." "Mhm." You agreed. In the quiet of the night and by his side, your mind had a million questions running through it. Why did he change his mind? Was he here with a hidden agenda to fight demons or something? You knew he didn't like crowds of people, so wanting to watch the fireworks from here with just you wasn't anything to get too excited over. But why'd he remove all of his Yaksha acessories? And lately, why was he showing up so much around you without you even calling his name? Has he been... watching you?